Tim Conway’s Legendary “Elephant Story”: The Unscripted Blooper That Broke The Carol Burnett Show and Became Comedy Gold
Los Angeles, CA – December 15, 2025 – In an era when viral comedy moments dominate social media, few clips endure like the infamous “Elephant Story” from The Carol Burnett Show. This 1977 outtake, featuring Tim Conway’s masterful improvisation, remains one of television’s funniest breakdowns – a six-minute cascade of uncontrollable laughter that reduced stars Harvey Korman, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, and guest Dick Van Dyke to tears.
The sketch was part of the recurring “The Family” series, later spun off into Mama’s Family. In this episode, the dysfunctional Harper family – Eunice (Burnett), Mama (Lawrence), boarder Dan (Van Dyke), and hardware store employee Mickey Hart (Conway) – play a game of Password. Eunice gives Mickey the clue “laughable” for the word “ridiculous.” Mickey responds with “elephant,” launching into a rambling, absurd story.
What made it legendary? Conway deliberately improvised after the dress rehearsal to “crack up” his co-stars, especially Korman (absent here, as he’d left the show earlier that season). In the rehearsal version, Conway described a circus elephant falling in love with its trainer, culminating in a joint burial: “So the trainer says, ‘We can’t bury the elephant here — his trunk’s still sticking out of the ground!’”
The cast struggled, but held it together somewhat. Director Dave Powers warned them between shows: Conway planned an even wilder version for the live taping.
In the aired/outtake version, Conway escalated to Siamese elephants joined at the trunk. With a deadpan face, he described a freak show act: a handler making them dance the merengue, with a monkey on top. The punchline? Normal elephants trumpet “PHRRRRR!” but these could only manage a pathetic “FSNORKN!” – complete with Conway’s hilarious sound effects.
Chaos ensued. Burnett buried her face in cue cards, whispering desperately, “We’re never gonna make it through this…” Van Dyke shook uncontrollably, hiding behind his hands. Lawrence, known for rarely breaking, covered her mouth. Even Conway cracked a few times. The studio audience roared; cameras visibly shook from crew laughter.
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As Conway wrapped up, Burnett tried to move on: “Mama, it’s your turn.” Lawrence, in character as the cranky Thelma Harper, delivered the ultimate zinger: “Are you sure that little asshole is through yet?” The line shattered everyone anew – Conway and Van Dyke collapsed in giggles – and cemented the sketch’s banned-from-air status (though cleaned-up versions later appeared in specials).
Burnett later recalled in her memoir In Such Good Company that she’d lectured the cast about staying in character for “The Family” sketches. Conway’s sabotage was payback genius. “Tim made it his mission to destroy Harvey,” she wrote, but this time, he took down the whole room.
Conway, who passed in 2019, was renowned for such pranks. His “Dentist” sketch with Korman – where he accidentally injects himself with Novocain – reportedly made Korman wet his pants from laughter. The Elephant Story, however, is often voted the show’s funniest moment.
The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978) revolutionized variety comedy with its fearless improvisation and ensemble chemistry. Clips like this continue trending on YouTube and TikTok, introducing new generations to timeless humor. As Burnett once said, “Comedy is acting out optimism” – and on that night in 1977, optimism won in the form of pure, unstoppable joy.
Fans still quote the “FSNORKN!” and share the video, proving great comedy never ages. In a divided world, moments like these remind us: sometimes, all it takes is a ridiculous elephant story to unite us in laughter.
